The Board of Supervisors has decided to rescind San Benito
County’s hillside development ordinance, citing concerns that it is
too restrictive and overly complicated.
The Board of Supervisors has decided to rescind San Benito County’s hillside development ordinance, citing concerns that it is too restrictive and overly complicated.
That may be the case, but before the existing ordinance comes off the books, the supervisors should make sure they have something solid to put in its place.
With the first update of the county’s general plan in more than 20 years now in the works, it would be a big mistake to open the door to unregulated development simply because the existing rules are somewhat unwieldy.
We aren’t here to argue that the existing ordinance is without flaws or to suggest that hillside development is by definition a bad idea. We do have concerns about the timing of the supervisors’ decision to address this particular land-use issue and the possibility that if we get caught up in a rush to solve one set of perceived problems we might create new troubles for ourselves.
Hillside development is something that should be addressed in the county’s general plan update. It would be our preference, in fact, to allow that update process to run its course and, if it’s deemed necessary, to rewrite the ordinance based on the new general plan.
There are valid reasons to restrict development of San Benito County’s hillsides – seismic concerns and aesthetic concerns, for example – but we also have good reasons to protect the agricultural land on the valley floor.
This area is going to grow and we need to identify the best places for that to occur by finding the balancing point for the conflicting needs and desires of the community. Those are the very issues that get decided during the process of updating a land-use general plan, a document that exists to guide growth.
We also have concerns that rescinding this ordinance now might fan the embers of the divisive land-use fight that blew up during the ugly battle over Measure G. As we prepare to move forward with public hearings on the general plan update, the last thing we need to do is to open old wounds or set the stage for the settling of old scores.
If the Board of Supervisors is intent on dumping the ordinance now – as last week’s 4-1 vote to rescind made clear – it’s imperative that work begin immediately on crafting a replacement. The matter was referred to the county Planning Department staff, but it was not nearly so clear exactly what the supervisors might be looking for to go in place of the outgoing ordinance.
What is clear is that we need to maintain protection of our sensitive hillsides while all of this is sorted out.
